The computers showed Stanford some love this week, helping the Cardinal move up two spots to No. 4 in the BCS standings Sunday. And you would have to assume Stanford will be No. 3 in a week if it takes care of Oregon State (2-6, 2-3 Pac-12) in Corvallis on Saturday.

With No. 1 LSU and No. 2 Alabama meeting Saturday, one of those teams presumably will drop behind the Cardinal. There are hints that the loser of the Alabama-LSU game, assuming it is not a blowout, could be ranked in the top four in the two polls that matter, the USA Today coaches' poll and the Harris poll. And with the support the computers will give the loser of that game and Oklahoma, it's still possible, though unlikely, that an unbeaten Stanford team could get aced out of the national-championship game by a one-loss Oklahoma or SEC team.

Stanford's rise from last week's No. 9 BCS computer ranking, which accounts for one-third of the BCS formula, to sixth this week suggests the computers will not be the culprit if Stanford fails to earn a national-title shot.

-- Is Houston the new Boise State? The Cougars are one of six unbeaten teams but are ranked No. 13 in the BCS standings. The Cougars average 52.25 points, which would be the fourth-highest average in history, and they have a good shot to finish unbeaten, which would include a win over BCS No. 23 Southern Miss.

Nonetheless, Houston is not in the national-title discussion because it plays in Conference USA. It is interesting to note that four of the six BCS computers rank Houston ahead of Oregon, but the Ducks still have an outside shot at the national title and the Cougars don't.

It is reminiscent of Boise State, which finished the 2006 regular season as one of two unbeaten teams but was ranked No. 9 because it played in the Western Athletic Conference. Not until the Broncos beat Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl that season did Boise State start earning national respect.

Boise State might be the enemy for Houston this season, though. Even if Houston finishes in the top 10 in the BCS standings, it won't get to a BCS game unless Boise State loses, because only one team from a conference that does not get an automatic BCS bid is guaranteed a BCS game berth.

-- Is Oregon better with redshirt freshman Bryan Bennettat quarterback instead of Darron Thomas? It seems silly to even pose the question, and Oregon coaches confirmed that Thomas is still the starter. But consider these numbers: Bennett has a better pass efficiency rating than Thomas and has rushed for more yards, 190 (9.0 per carry) to 108 (4.7 per carry), despite playing a lot less. When Bennett replaced Thomas early in the second half of the Arizona State game two weeks ago, the Ducks trailed but scored on four of their next five possessions, including three touchdowns, to win going away 41-27.

Oregon scored touchdowns on its first four possessions in Bennett's first start Oct. 22 at Colorado, and it scored touchdowns on its first three possessions of the second half on Saturday after Bennett replaced Thomas to start the third quarter against Washington State, which trailed 15-10 at halftime. The Ducks prevailed 43-28.

How it works: The BCS average is calculated by averaging the percent totals of the Harris Interactive, USA Today (coaches') and computer polls. Six computer rankings are used to determine the overall computer component. The six computer-ranking providers are Anderson & Hester, Richard Billingsley, Colley Matrix, Kenneth Massey, Jeff Sagarin and Peter Wolfe. Each computer ranking accounts for schedule strength in its formula.

Awful to amazing

In the weird world of Heisman acclaim, it seems Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck's worst play of the season - perhaps his career - might have provided the biggest boost to his chances of winning the trophy. The interception he threw to USC's Nickell Robey, who returned it 33 yards for a touchdown to give USC a 34-27 lead with 3:08 left, was an awful play, unlike anything Luck has done during the Cardinal's 16-game win streak. But all anyone could talk about Sunday was how masterfully Luck responded to that mistake and the moment, leading the team on a game-tying touchdown drive and an eventual victory in triple overtime.